From 1742
by OnyAnonymous
Summary: Leah Hampton just wanted to go on an early morning stroll to the remains of Edlingham Castle. However, she spotted an angel statue that was obviously out of place. Usually Weeping Angels send their victims to the past to live out their lives, but in Leah's case, she was sent to a distant future where she meets up with the ninth doctor.
1. Chapter 1

Leah Hampton wasn't the most outgoing person to ever roam Rothbury Town, she had much rather spend time with her siblings and parents. People her age were off courting those young lads who held their chins high to show their superiority and class, while nineteen year old Leah seemed to always find herself in her study practicing the arts of music and language.

The town of Rothbury held very few educational distractions for a girl like Leah to be interested in. She longed for adventure and amusement elsewhere than her raggedy home that constantly echoed with the bellows of two younger siblings fighting over who got to feed the chickens and the bickering of two elder sisters arguing over who got to purchase the latest addition to hats of fashion.

However, on this night, Leah had rushed out of the house in hopes of going for a late night stroll to a nearby dilapidated castle. Edlingham Castle had been a sort of playground for Leah ever since she was a young child. She'd constantly be reprimanded by her mother and father for climbing up the unstable structure, but she had always gone back the next day to do it all over again.

It was a fair distance to walk on a dark night, but the sounds of crickets and the howling wind kept her company along the way. The country side was very familiar to Leah, as well with the abandoned castle. She could walk about the area with her eyes closed and not stumble once. She knew the place like it was her own mind's map.

She went round the bend in the road and there in the distance, lit by the radiance of the moon, was Edlingham Castle. Leah's mouth smiled as her feet quickened their pace. Her eagerness was almost discernible in the night air.

Her shoes clicked as she walked out onto the bricks, breathing in the cool night air. Her eyes roamed over the structure, remembering past imaginative adventures she had out here during long lazy afternoons with her siblings. It was the only place that Leah was really allowed to go by herself. Her two elder sisters were yet to be married, so that meant Leah wasn't presented into society yet. She longed for the day when she could leave her middle class farm and venture out into the world. But until then, she was stuck reading up on languages and tinkering at her piano.

She felt a cool chill crawl up her back, resulting in goose flesh to rise on her partially bare arms. She pulled on her cardigan, hoping that it would help. Leah rubbed her chin on her shoulder, only to see something unfamiliar out the side of her eye. She spun about, to discover an angel statue. Its gray hands were covering its face as though it were crying, or perhaps weeping.

Leah's brows furrowed, that had never been there before. She was quite certain that it was an addition to the castle. She then decided to approach the statue, hoping that it would give some clue as to who placed it there and where it came from.

It was a tall object, towering over Leah's short stature. It had cracks and dirt smudged all over the frame. Leah thought that it was excellent workmanship, the detail and delicate curves of the stone would be envied by and marble carver in Rothbury. She walked around it once, getting a good look at the angel and saw that it provided no clue as to where it came from.

Leah mumbled to herself, "Perhaps you'll just be something I can enjoy each time I come back, then."

She turned her back and began walking over to the larger and not as ruined part of the castle, planning to climb up to the top. She was just about to lift a foot when an almost muffled shuffle of feet grabbed her attention. She glanced over her shoulder to see that the angel statue had moved.

"I could have sworn you were over by that bush," she mumbled to herself. "How did you move over here?"

Leah narrowed her eyes at the statue, but then focused on climbing the castle again. However, the shuffling feet sounded again and Leah peered down below her to see that the angel had moved once more. Her brows knitted even closer as she peered out into the dark bushes.

"Alright! That was quite the jest, Tobias!" Her younger brother loved to play jokes on everyone in the family. And to be quite honest, Leah was impressed that he was able to move such a large stature, or perhaps he had some one's assistance.

"Is Anna aiding you, Tobias? If so, excellent job to the both of you. You had me quite concerned!"

However, Leah's words echoed out into the night and no one replied. Leah knew her brother and sister; they would always reveal themselves after they were found out. If they weren't out here in the bushes, then who was?

Leah glanced down at the angel statue only to see that it now had its stone arms reaching up and grasping onto Leah's skirt hem. The young woman gasped and tried to pull her skirt away but fell back in the process; letting out a muffled groan when she landed. Her back ached when she rolled over to see that the angel had advanced even closer to her fallen body. Its mouth was now open, exposing stone fangs that seemed to almost glisten in the moonlight. No matter how much Leah would have originally admired the statue's uniqueness, she had much rather get back home before anything happened to her.

She lifted her skirts and ran as fast as her muddy boots could carry her, occasionally tripping over roots sticking up out of the ground and then gaining her balance with the help of a nearby tree branch. But, it didn't matter how fast she pushed herself to run, the muffled shuffling of feet continued to follow behind her.

She rounded a bend in the gravelled road and caught a glimpse of her home in the distance, the bright yellow sun rising on the horizon. But, she would never be able to join her family for the morning meal because her shoulder was touched by a single finger and she vanished from the roadside just outside of a small town called Rothbury.


	2. Chapter 2

_One year later… Or rather 14,598 years later…_

Leah shoved her way through a long line of various aliens and albino individuals to stamp her work papers. It was another long shift work day and she just wanted to go back to her dome and sleep and restore her energy for the next long day.

The general area was loud with aliens and people speaking in their native tongue. She could understand some of the languages, but not all just yet. She adored different dialects, but they were harder than human languages.

A large red skinned alien bumped into her arm, its spiked flesh dung into Leah's bicep. "Watch it, pal!" Leah hissed and rubbed at her new wound. The alien didn't even seem to notice her and continued on his merry way. Leah groaned. She'd have to get some disinfectant cream on the wound soon before it decided to fester.

She dodged around people and eventually got into an elevator that would take her back down to ground floor. She didn't like being in tight spaces for long, so it was a good thing the elevator was super quick and reached ground floor before Leah could count to ten.

The large group of people shot out of the elevator and ran past Leah to the hovercabs, being sure to shove the poor girl into the side wall and distribute a good couple of bruises. Leah let out a sigh as she watched all the hovercabs load up and drive off. She'd have to wait for the next circuit to make their way over to the factory.

She stood below the overhang of the factory building, glancing up into the sky and observing what seemed to look like acid rain clouds overhead. It would be just her luck to be pelted with acid drops. And, as if on cue, the acid began to fall from the gloomy sky.

"I can't believe this." Leah leaned against a nearby wall. "I didn't bring my umbrella."

While Leah waited, she picked at her finger nails and thought about her work day, noting that her assembly line partner was about as useful as a bag of nails. The Blowfish that she worked with liked to slack off and make advances towards her that were not well received.

Leah's back had been bothering her all afternoon so she decided a stretch was in order. Her arms reached up above her head and the sides of her lips turned upwards. Her eyes scanned the busy street before her with people bustling about with their umbrellas, trying to escape the acid rain, except one man who was taking a leisurely stroll among the citizens of West Tokia.

Leah observed the man in the black leather jacket get closer and closer to her hovercab stop. He had a determined face, but was somehow displaying a goofy grin all the while. He had a bit of a hop in his step as though everything was wonderful in life. Leah had to disagree. All she wanted was to go home to see her family again. They must be worried sick about her.

Nevertheless, the strange man continued his predetermined path and Leah continued to watch as he got closer and closer. Leah fiddled with her shoulder bag as she spotted an approaching hovercab. She quickly got inside the transport vehicle as the black leather clad man reached the overhang and hovercab stand. Leah closed the door beside her and let out a deep sigh. Only a few speckles of acid rain had touched her clothing, but it wasn't anything that she couldn't fix at home.

Just as Leah was about to type her intended destination into the computer before her, the hovercab door swung open and Leah was shoved to the side by a man. And it wasn't just any man; it was the strange one she had hoped to escape from.

His blue eyes met hers and she frowned. "Just what do you think you're doing, mate?" Leah demanded.

The man smiled, "Riding in a cab, obviously."

Leah's frowned deepened, "I can see that." Leah rubbed at her shoulder a moment, and then leaned forward to type in her destination. However, her hand was brushed aside by the man as he began typing in coordinates.

Leah's eyes widened. "Just who do you think you are?"

He responded without looking back, "I'm the Doctor."

Leah crossed her arms. "I don't care about your profession. I just want to go home."

Leah brushed away the man's hand, only to see that the coordinates had been entered and the doors had been locked as safety precautions. Now Leah couldn't leave the hovercab until they got to the man's intended location.

He settled back in his seat, a slight grin on his face, and faced Leah, "Might as well get to know each other even just a tad."

Leah shrugged. "I'm Leah. And who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor."

Leah sighed. "You've already said that. Tell me your name, I told you mine."

"You can call me Doctor." He continued smiling.

Leah decided not to push it any further; it wasn't like she intended to be his friend or anything of the sort. Once he got out of the hovercab, she'd be off and on her way home. She had a bath that was calling her name.

The two sat in awkward silence, Leah stealing a glimpse out of the side of her eyes every two seconds, and the Doctor playing with a skinny round metal stick-like tool that glowed blue on one end and made a horribly annoying sound. She longed to go back to her time and deal with cleaning of horse manure rather than stay in a future where objects like that made obnoxious sounds.

The hovercab came to a sudden stop, but seemed to be pushed on the side abruptly, resulting in the Doctor falling into Leah's side. She groaned as she pushed the man off of her and he bolted out of the cab, mumbling something about a certain alien getting away.

Leah relaxed in the back seat and input her home coordinates, ready to be released from the everyday bustle of the people around her. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, enjoying the quiet ride all the way home.

Home was a small apartment dome that held her basic necessities. She had a bedroom, a kitchen, a front room and the washroom. And that was fancy by most people's standards. Being able to afford this dome had Leah working twelve hours every day of the week. The factory job she had was simple enough, putting pegs in holes or forming wrappers around candies on an assembly line, but it had Leah standing on her feet the majority of the day and that would do a number to anyone's back.

She kicked off her boots once she got in the dome door, heading straight for the refrigerator for some refreshment. She opened up the holograph menu and scrolled through the selections, deciding that appleberry-cran was what she was in the mood for. The machine made a noise that sounded like metal grinding on sandpaper, and then her glass popped out with the almost clear liquid.

She took a sip and then went over to a drawer to select what she was having for her evening meal. When she had first come to this future, she had no idea how to survive in such a place. The food was dried out powder in packets that you place in a bowl and toss into the rehydration chamber for a couple minutes until you have your mush that tastes like what the packet was labeled as. Tonight, Leah decided that beef stew was the best way to go.

While Leah's meal was being prepared, she took her shoulder bag into her bedroom and tossed it onto her bed. She stretched again, and then spotted a skinny metal stick-like object roll out of her bag and onto her bed. It was that tool the Doctor was playing with in the hovercab.

She picked it up delicately and pressed the small button on the side. The annoying sound echoed in her room and she automatically dropped it on the floor when her dome window slammed open. She went over to it before all the acid rain could ruin her dome floors. She spun around, panting from the pain of acid rain on her arms. _Great_, she thought, _more wounds to tend to_.

She picked the metal object up off the ground and placed it in her side table and decided to ignore it for now. She had much rather spend her evening tending to herself and away from weird things that belonged to a madman.


	3. Chapter 3

Texor followed Leah into position on the assembly line, humming to himself some tunes from his home planet full of Blowfish. Leah tried to ignore his persistent advances, but to no avail. His native tunes continued to bounce about in her mind and seemed to lurk around each and every corner.

"Texor," Leah began, "could you just knock it off with all that humming. It'll drive me bonkers."

Texor brushed his scaly hand along his gills. "At least I'm getting to you, Lee-lah."

"My name is Leah," she said sternly. "How many times must I correct you?"

Texor grinned and crossed his arms. "Oh, you know I do it to get on your nerves."

"Now that you know that you've succeeded, how about you lay off for the remainder of the day, hm?"

Texor nodded and found his work place and began twisting wrappers around candies alongside Leah. The horrible rustling got into Leah's head and she knew that she'd have to deal with the annoying pain of a headache all day long.

Leah brushed her wavy dark hair from her face and tucked it behind an ear. The morning wasn't too bad; the constant repetition seemed to make time go by fairly quick when she thought about it. And in no time the afternoon meal hour had arrived and Leah could already feel her stomach rumbling.

The cafeteria was full of different alien species, along with the humans that had stayed behind on earth instead of going off to other planets. Leah followed a Minotaur through the line up while lunch ladies slopped grey mush that smelled like steak and potatoes onto the trays. She reached into her shoulder bag, which held that thin metal object the leather clad man had left in the cab, and pulled out some money. Leah then found a table to sit at by herself and dug in, swallowing down the hot meal before her lunch hour was over.

The crackling sound of the intercom echoed in the large cafeteria and captured everyone's attention.

"Leah Hampton report to floor 456."

All eyes turned to Leah, holding pity in their irises. Floor 456 wasn't a place any worker wanted to be called to. Rumors had it that any person who went up there never came back down, that those people were sacrificed to beasts so foul that no one had even bothered to give them a name. And now Leah had to be subjected to finding out the truth. She wished that she'd be able to run off, but she'd only be dragged back inside by security guards. Running was useless.

She pushed back her chair and stood with her chin high. If this was to be the last time she'd ever set foot in the cafeteria floor, she wouldn't be scared, or at least she wouldn't show it. She spotted Texor among the staring eyes and all Leah saw coming from him was worry. Even though the Blowfish drove Leah barmy the majority of the time, she still appreciated his friendship.

The lift was waiting for her, floor 456 already dialed into the computer system. Entering the lift, Leah took a deep breath and glanced up at the metal panels above her. There was a mystery in the floors above her, and now she was going to uncover the mysteriousness of floor 456. She didn't know if she was ready for that knowledge or not. However, the lift didn't wait for her to think about it and closed the doors before her. The rattling and soft whistling indicated that the lift was zooming to the intended floor. Leah's hands were sweaty.

The lift soon _pinged _and the doors slid open quickly. A rush of warm air mingled with Leah's loose wavy brown hair, making her green eyes water. After dabbing at her eyes with the back of her hand, she ventured out onto the floor. The walls were of a burnt orange color with cascading waterfalls on each side of the long hallway. A large window displayed the brilliant sun high in the sky above.

Leah took hesitant steps out of the lift before it could close on her. She didn't know what she was getting into, thus her reasoning to be cautious. If the rumors were true, that a hideous beast was on this floor only to gobble her up, then there was no use in speeding up the process.

As Leah passed by the waterfalls, she spotted medium sized fish swimming around. Some had gorgeous markings of leopard print and a few even had spiral looking fins. The colours were bright and wonderful; Leah wondered why she didn't have a few of them herself.

The whole floor didn't seem one bit dangerous at all. Soft swells of birds could be heard all around, but no bird was in sight. However, soft humming echoed down an adjacent hallway and Leah spun to meet the approaching person… or, rather, alien.

The white skin of the alien was like marble. Her body was tall and slender and the curves of her frame had to have been chiselled out by a world renowned artist in order to achieve such perfection. Her face held no nose, just two cat-like eyes and a full set of lips. As Leah continued observing the alien, she spotted two small holes in the woman's chest that would flare out like a pair of nostrils, inhaling and exhaling. Then, with an almost angelic voice, she spoke.

"You must be Leah Hampton."

Leah nodded, still being amazed at how beautiful this woman was. It was only a year ago that Leah was ignorant to this species of alien, and now she was standing in front of the gorgeous being. The Netzeerons were known for their charming looks, so how did they remain hidden in such a public building for so long?

"If you would follow me, my Head Madam would like a word with you."

Leah didn't answer with words, but her anxious expression was enough for a reply. The Netzeeron led Leah down a wide hallway with other Netzeerons participating in their daily duties; the aliens' feet were soundless. The aliens gave Leah a polite curtsey or bow as she passed on by.

Leah wondered what all the fuss was about. Did she do something against the rules of the workplace? Was this some sort of punishment, or was it something totally different? However, she knew her questions would soon be answered as she was escorted into a vast room with a beautiful view out onto the city skyline.

On the opposite end of the room was a female Netzeeron clad in hanging fabrics over her slight but tall frame. She was whispering to a Skylar Bird, its wings changing colour due to the affection. Her skin, however, was different from other Netzeerons Leah had seen about the floor. The markings were quite celestial looking. Small stars decorated her arms and twisted in a thin spiral up her neck and onto her cheek bone. And her eyes were the most unique thing about her. The amber irises seemed to be ablaze with their own eternal flame. She really was a beauty.

"Leah Hampton, I presume," she spoke with a most angelic voice.

Leah nodded, glancing down at her dirty apparel. She must have looked like quite a misfit among these charming aliens. But if they were her employers, then they'd understand that she had been working all morning. And that she was a mere human.

"Please, have a seat." The Netzeeron gestured to a padded chair in front of her.

Leah did as she was told and was very speechless, to say the least. She had no idea what these aliens wanted with her, but she wasn't about to wear out her welcome. Listening to what this woman had to say couldn't be too bad.

"I would like to welcome you to your new home," the Netzeeron began, "My name is Ephimis. I'm the Head Madam of this facility."

Leah's brows furrowed. "What do you mean _new home_?"

Ephimis only smiled. Leah suspected she was used to people asking the question, due to the way she looked at the potentially new tenant. "As a working member within this facility, you've been given free merchandise, have you not?"

Leah nodded, "Yeah, those little candies are strangely addicting. Can't get enough of those things."

Ephimis crossed her arms behind her back. "Those candies are special things, actually. They are helping our civilization be reborn." She walked over to her Skylar Bird and inspected it, casually dropping in a treat. "It is common knowledge that our planet had been ravaged by toxic wastes. Our bio-domes couldn't support life and we were then forced to evacuate the deadly planet."

Leah continued listening, her fingers picking at her nails in nervousness. Where was she going with this bit of information? What did this have to do with those candies?

"Every time someone eats a single candy, a special DNA coding agent is forced into cells within that individual's body, resulting in the gradual change into one of the Netzeeron race. Soon we will have enough in numbers to claim this planet as our new home."

Leah stood suddenly, pushing the chair back so hard that it fell over behind her. "You can't do that! What happened to free will and deciding what's best for one's self?"

Ephimis formed an expression a mother would give to a child who was having a temper tantrum. "And who would willingly change their DNA to Netzeeron DNA? Come now, Leah. You make this sound as though it's something to be ashamed of."

Leah began stepping backwards, hoping to get as close to the exit as possible before she made a break for it. She needed to get out of here and warn the public. They had the right to know what they were consuming.

"This is all wrong!" Leah exclaimed. "The Authority needs to be told about this."

Ephimis snapped her delicate fingers and two large male Netzeerons approached either side of Leah and secured her arms. They had appeared so quickly, Leah suspected they had been hidden in the room all along. Perhaps previous victims had put up quite a fuss in the past.

The Netzeeron men tugged on Leah's arms, dragging her in the direction of a nearby door, but the sudden sound of footsteps alerted the aliens and caused them to pause. A man dressed in a black leather jacket strolled in just then, a goofy smile playing at his lips. He held out a blank white paper and spoke.

"Health inspection."

The instant recognition between Leah and the Doctor was almost noticeable, but Leah knew that he wasn't just here for a health inspection, but an inspection nonetheless. The intense stare the Doctor gave Leah made her feel like her quiet plea for help had been heard loud and clear.

Ephimis cleared her throat, if such a noise from an angelic being could be called that. "I must be honest, Mr. Smith, this inspection comes as a surprise to me and the workers here."

The Doctor wandered over to a nearby plant and flicked at its leaf. "Of course it does! Health inspections are supposed to be a surprise. Wouldn't want you slipping up in your duties all the time, now would we?"

The Netzeeron grip around Leah's arms had disappeared and she instantly rubbed at the newly forming bruises under her work clothes. The Doctor wandered to her side and cocked a thumb at her.

"And who is she supposed to be?"

Ephimis fidgeted with her fingers. "A mere worker, no one to concern yourself with."

The Doctor glared at Ephimis for a split second, and then faced Leah with an almost pitiful expression. "What's your name?"

"Leah Hampton, sir." She mentally groaned at the use of a title. She had been suppressing that side of her bringing up for so long, but it seemed like this man deserved the respect.

"Right," the Doctor faced Ephimis one last time. "I'm taking this girl here away to question her working experience. I'll return her momentarily."

And without permission, the Doctor escorted Leah out the room and down the hallway. Their feet moved quickly and they spoke no words until they reached the lift. Once inside, Leah let out a large breath.

"How long do you think they'll stand there believing your health inspector façade?"

The Doctor glanced at Leah. "Oh, not long at all. Netzeerons are telepathic, so if you were thinking about something that would give us away, then they should already be on their way."

And, as if on cue, the lift ceased all its movement and the inside compartment instantly glowed red. Leah let out a sigh and leaned against the wall.

"I guess I wasn't going to escape after all," she grumbled.

The Doctor sighed, "This would be much easier if I had my sonic screwdriver with me."

Leah reached into her shoulder bag and drew out the metal thing. "So it's a screwdriver?"

The Doctor grabbed the object out of Leah's hands. "It was you who took it?"

Leah frowned. "I didn't take it. It fell into my bag when you decided that assaulting me in that hovercab was a fantastic idea."

He began using the sonic screwdriver along a crease in the bottom of the lift, ignoring Leah's statement. Soon enough, the Doctor was holding out a hand and gesturing for Leah to follow. One glance at what was below them had Leah cowering in a corner.

"No way am I going down there," she stated.

The Doctor sighed. "It's either you trust me, or you're stuck with those Netzeerons up there. They are no doubt already figuring out a way to get to us."

Leah looked conflicted with the choices faced her. She could stay here and live as a fledgling Netzeeron and know for sure she would survive, but she would be imprisoned no doubt. On the other hand, she could trust this mad man and hopefully feel the outside air again. If she died falling down the lift shaft, at least she would still be a free woman.

With her mind made up, she grabbed onto the Doctor's hand and he smiled.

"Fantastic," was all he said before he pulled her down out of the lift behind him.


End file.
